give me till then, to give up this fight
by faitaccompli23
Summary: Auslly. An early morning in the practice room could shift Austin and Ally's entire partnership askew. On moonlight and silence, on Ally being hopelessly in love and Austin just being hopeless, and as always, on music. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Happy belated Thanksgiving to all you wonderful, wondrous, brilliant people! I'm not entirely satisfied with this, but I'm going to put it out there because I'm not quite sure how to fix it. It's a little stilted, but the premise is that Austin never realized he liked Ally/so the Kira relationship ran its natural course/now they're seniors, both single, but she loves him and he's terribly oblivious. It'll probably be pretty short.

As always, let me know what y'all think!

* * *

"Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love."

-Charlie Brown

It's three in the morning; Austin and Ally have been in the practice room for hours, working on a new song. There's a particularly difficult chord progression Austin just can't sort out, and he throws the sheet music to the floor in frustration, banging his head against the keyboard repeatedly.

Curled up on the couch, Ally looks up from her songbook, amused. "You doing okay there, Austin?"

All she gets is a muffled groan. She laughs as she untangles herself from the pile of pillows on the couch. Sliding herself next to him on the bench, she gently shifts his hands off the piano. "Here. Try this."

Austin looks up as Ally's hands coax a crooning melody from the piano. It's perfect, exactly what he'd been trying to figure out, and he's equal parts grateful and dazed, dazed at this girl and her capacity to understand his music.

"You are a miracle worker." He grins at her sleepily as she writes down the notes. "I don't know how I'd do this without you, Ally."

She shrugs. Her voice is lighthearted as she replies. "What can I say. I do what I do."

Austin yawns as he leans onto Ally's shoulder. "Can we go to bed now? We're practically done."

She nudges him fondly as she gets up. "Okay sleepyhead. Time to go home."

He wraps his arms around her waist to keep her on the piano bench and shakes his head stubbornly. "Moving takes too much effort."

Ally sighs, but doesn't try to extract herself from his grasp. "I guess you can sleep on the couch here. It'll definitely be more comfortable than that first all-nighter, when you fell asleep on the counter downstairs."

Austin wrinkles his nose at the memory. "Yeah, and you woke me up with cymbals. The worst wakeup call ever."

She laughs, her breath sloping across his cheek as she turns to him. "But we finished the song."

She sings the first few bars of the chorus to _Break Down the Walls _softly_. _Her voice is silvery and she smells like vanilla and ink, and Austin finds himself absently pressing a kiss against the dip in her collarbone. Ally immediately stills, turning to look at him with wide eyes. Her hair is tumbling around her shoulders and there's moonlight spilling across her skin Austin wonders for a moment how Ally can be _sososo_ beautiful at three in the morning, before he tangles his hands in her hair and kisses her. She melts into the kiss immediately, and for a few pristine, untarnished seconds, they're just _AustinandAlly _tangled in starlight and music and each other. Then Ally leans back, just a little, and hits the corner of the piano. The jangling notes jar them back into focus and Austin jumps up, nervously running a hand through his hair as he starts rambling.

"I'm so sorry I did that, Ally. It's late, and you were there, and the light, and your hair was shiny and you smelled really good and the song worked out and it just kind of happened but this doesn't have to change anything. We don't have to change."

Austin thinks that he sounds more like he's trying to talking himself into believing it's possible to forget about this. About kissing his best friend. About an irreversible shift in the dynamic of their friendship. He almost succeeds in convincing himself it was the sleep deprivation and the moonlight, when Ally replies, voice trembling.

"What if I want it to change?"

"W-What?" Austin's voice is startled.

Ally looks down at her hands, tangling her fingers in the folds of her skirt. "That kiss? What just happened? That meant something to me. Something more than just three A.M. and sleep deprivation and finished duets." She smiles wistfully. "And I know that I'm putting everything on the line right now on the off chance that you feel even remotely close to how I feel. But I think it might be worth the risk, Austin. I think w_e _might be worth the risk." She looks up at him with tentative hope shining in her eyes. "What do you say?"

Austin's head spins. Ally's been his best friend for years now, and he can't imagine life without her. But this is completely out of left field and he's not quite sure what to do with himself, what to say to her. If he's being perfectly honest with himself, he's imagined dating Ally before: quiet moments at the park, in Sonic Boom, eating pancakes and pickles, and singing. Always singing. But it's the singing that's tripping him up now. Their careers are skyrocketing, they're seniors going off to college, and he doesn't know how a relationship would affect their partnership-or more importantly, their friendship.

"Ally, I..." He trails off. There's a painstakingly long silence before he continues. "I don't want us to change." And for the briefest of moments, he believes himself, until he sees Ally's eyes shutter close.

"Is it so awful that I love you?"

"It's terrifying." His reply is barely audible, but the words send Ally reeling with the impact of a freight train.

"I guess that's that, then." She tucks her songbook into her bag and stands up from the piano bench. "I'm sor-Austin, I'm sorry I told you." She shrugs ruefully. "I know how uncomfortable you get with grand proclamations of love. I just thought-well, it doesn't matter." She swings the bag onto her shoulder and preoccupies herself with neatening the sheet music on top of the piano. "But hey, at least no one's orange and sweaty this time, right?"

"Ally." Austin doesn't know what else to say, so he just repeats her name again. "Ally." He feels like he's losing her: and along with her, losing something precious and fleeting and ephemeral.

"You can stay here, if you still want to." She smiles and turns, running straight into the doorknob. "Oops." She pulls the door open and slides into the gloom of the hallway. "I'll see you at school tomorrow, yeah?" She waves awkwardly and closes the door. It clicks shut softly behind her.

Austin stares at the door for a few minutes. He's not entirely certain how, in the work of a few moments, he managed to screw up the best friendship he's ever had.

"I'm sorry."

He says to the empty room. And as he drags himself over to the couch, he realizes he's not quite sure who the apology was meant for: his writing partner, his best friend, or maybe himself. Sorry for refusing to acknowledge the remote possibility that he might love her back.

* * *

"So what's up with you and Ally?"

Austin closes his locker just as Dez pops up out of nowhere.

"What?"

Dez repeats himself as he prods Austin in the shoulder. "What's going on with you and Ally?"

"What makes you think something is going on?" Austin opens his locker again to avoid making eye contact with his best friend.

Dez stares at him. "Well, first of all, you've been wandering around all day like someone told you about a world pancake shortage. She doesn't look much better. You've been avoiding her like the plague, and the kicker? The two of you haven't written together for four days. That's essentially three years in Austin and Ally time."

Austin winces. "Is it that obvious?"

The redhead nods. "So tell the love whisperer what's up."

"It's not about love though. It's not."

Dez raises his eyebrows. "Okay. Whatever you say. But something did happen?"

"It's nothing." Austin slams his locker shut and turns to his best friend. "Really. Nothing she won't get over."

Dez whistles. "Harsh."

Austin runs a restless hand through his hair and sighs. "Just leave it alone, Dez."

Dez shrugs. "If you need me buddy, I'm here." He pauses. "Want to talk about your new music video?"

Austin nods, turning to walk with Dez towards their first period class.

* * *

"What's going on with you and Ally?"

Ally hears her name from around the corner and stops abruptly. She was going to get her books from her lockers when she caught Dez's voice. She hasn't seen Austin in a week, not since the night in the practice room. She's trying to give him his time; it's not every day your best friend tells you she's in love with you. But the longer he's been avoiding her, the more she's begun to think that maybe he just doesn't care at all. She recognizes that she imagined all the weighted moments and meaningful glances; her stomach curls in embarrassment as she thinks about how she convinced herself there was even the remotest possibility that Austin might love her back. And now; now she wonders if their partnership can withstand this. If he cares enough to try. She pulls herself back into focus as Dez says something again.

"So tell the love whisperer what's up."

"It's not about love though. It's not."

Her heart stutters at the reminder. _dissonance._

"Okay. Whatever you say. But something did happen?"

Ally holds her breath for Austin's answer. c_rescendo._

"It's nothing. Really." _diminuendo. _

The slam of a locker and a friendship crumbling.

"Nothing she won't get over."

_fin._

* * *

That afternoon, Austin finally works up the courage to go to Sonic Boom. Ally's sitting behind the register, like every other day, and she's scribbling in her songbook. The normality of the scene brings a smile to Austin's face, and for the first time, he thinks that maybe things can go back to the way they were. Maybe it was just the exhilaration of an all-nighter and a finished song that had made Ally think she was in love with him. Maybe she isn't in love with him at all. Austin feels a twinge at the thought, but dismisses it as just a stomachache. It's selfish to want her to love him when he doesn't love her back. _right?_

He pulls himself back into focus when he realizes he's reached the counter. Ally hasn't looked up yet, so he reaches over and taps her knee.

"Hey."

"Long time no see." Her voice isn't accusatory at all: just resigned, and Austin realizes that no matter how much he was dreading anger, resignation is so much worse.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that. I was just sorting through some stuff. You know." Austin's voice drifts as Ally stands, brushing eraser off her jeans. She still hasn't looked at him. "Can we talk?"

"I'm actually kind of busy with the store right now. Can it wait?" Ally busies herself with the contents of the cash register, swallowing back the urge to say yes, because she knows it'll come out as _yes, let's talk, let's be friends, let's forget that I love you and you think that's nothing, let's talk about how you're walking away and my heart is breaking. _

Austin looks around Sonic Boom. There are no customers, and he knows that Lester's going to be at a guitar-pick-decorating convention the entire weekend.

"Actually, it can't."

Ally raises her eyebrows as she finally meets his eyes.

"Okay then. Let's talk." The words are clipped, steely enough that Austin takes a step back. Talking with Ally has always felt like a song, the words to a dance he didn't even know he knew. Now the music's changed and he doesn't know what to do. And as Ally turns sharply towards the stairs, Austin thinks something is definitely not right.

* * *

Ally shuts the door of the practice room and walks towards the piano, eyes fixated on a scratch in the enamel.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Austin moves to stand next to her. "You know. Sunday night. The kiss."

There's a long pause before Ally replies. "I thought you wanted to forget about it." Her tone is strange; Austin knows almost every nuance of Ally's voice, but this is one he hasn't heard, and it throws him off.

"I mean, yes. No. Yes. Maybe?" Austin whooshes out a slow breath. "I just want things to be okay with us."

"Things are okay. We're fine, Austin. Don't worry about it." Austin thinks absently that Ally's never lied to him before. Not until now.

"We're obviously not. Ally, you won't even look at me."

She finally looks up. Her eyes are steely, as if she's wavering on the brink of tears, and Austin doesn't know what to do.

"It'll be fine, Austin." Ally's reply is hollow. Her eyelashes cast silken shadows across her cheekbones as she looks back down. Austin's heart clenches. He shifts towards Ally, hand outstretched, but she takes a step back. The silence is heavy, cold and still. Then Austin reaches for her again, voice pleading.

"I'm sorry I haven't talked to you for a couple days, but please don't shut me out, Ally. Why are you so upset? What did I do?"

She sinks into his embrace for a second before she tilts her head back up to meet his gaze. Tears shimmer in her eyes, but her voice is steady as she replies.

"Nothing. Nothing I won't get over."

Austin breathes in sharply. The words sound so much worse in the tired lilt of her voice. And watching her fall to pieces in front of him, he can't for the life of him remember why he'd said them. He smooths a protective hand down her back and pulls her closer, as if he can just holdherandholdherandholdher until she stops looking like she's going to come flying apart.

But it's too late.

"I'll still be your songwriter, Austin. I'll still be your friend. I just-" Ally closes her eyes for a moment, then steps out from the circle of his arms with a sigh. "I need some space."

"Stay." Austin's voice cracks. "We can talk about this. Please, Ally."

Ally slides a hand over his shoulder and lifts herself up onto her toes, pressing a brief kiss to his lips. She tastes like staccato heartbeats, clarity and endings, and Austin breathes her in just as she backs away with a sad smile.

"I don't think I have anything left to say to you, Austin. I think I'm finally just...just done."

Then before he can react, in the flurry of a splintered goodbye, Ally's gone. And Austin's left standing in the empty practice room again, wondering when it all went wrong.

* * *

Next time: Trish helps Austin out of his oblivion. Austin does a little soul-searching. And some other stuff I haven't figured out yet. Oy vey.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This one's a bit of a doozy. (It's 2am so I'm not really sure what else to say about it.) I think there'll be one more chapter(?) Don't quote me on that. I think it might be moving a bit fast at the moment. It's a problem I seem to have in most of my writing; I think it's probably a product of my automatic assumption as an author that everyone knows the minute backstories of my Austin and Ally like I've constructed them in my head. Oy. So yes. Sorry about that. And also sorry about the absurd author's note. Can I blame it on sleep deprivation?

TL;DR: This=Doozy. Story may be moving too fast. Apologies!

As always, let me know what y'all think?

* * *

_Take my hand, _

_take my whole life too;  
For I can't help _

_falling in love with you._

**-Elvis Presley**

"Want to explain to me why my best friend hasn't touched her songbook in days?"

Trish smacks Austin in the back of the head as she slides into the seat across from him at Mini's. Austin's looks at his french fries despondently.

"I'm not in the mood right now, Trish."

"Well too bad. I am." She picks up the fries and throws them into the garbage can behind her. "Now talk."

"Hey, I was eating those!" Austin protests.

Trish frowns. "Sure you were." She turns to fully face him and crosses her arms. "So. What do you have to say for yourself, Austin Moon?"

"She told me something and I didn't handle it well." Austin fiddles with a napkin. "I don't know what else you want me to tell you."

"So she finally told you she's in love with you?"

Austin drops the napkin. "You knew?"

Trish scoffs. "Ally's my best friend. Of course I knew."

Austin returns to shredding the paper in front of him. "Right. Stupid question."

Trish reaches over and pulls the napkin out of his hands. "No. What's stupid is why you didn't sweep her off her feet, spew out some quote from the romance movies I know you watch, and tell her you loved her back. Because it's obvious to everyone in _the entire world _that you're hopelessly head over heels." She pauses, tilting her head. "Some aliens on Mars have probably seen it, too."

"W-bu-no, that's ridiculous." Austin finally sputters out. "I mean, I love her, but just as a friend. As a partner. Just because I appreciate her music and our friendship doesn't mean I'm in love with her."

Trish raises her eyebrows. "Now I see what Dez means."

"You and Dez have been talking about me?"

"Well, duh." She shrugs. "When two people who are obviously meant to be suddenly stop speaking to each other, their best friends usually talk about it." Her voice is surprisingly perceptive. "And since you dodging her turned into her avoiding you like the plague, my assumption is that you tried to tell her you didn't care about the same way. And Ally being Ally, she believed you." She looks at him sharply. "And I'm assuming somewhere along the way you royally screwed up and made her feel like you just don't care about her at all."

Austin stares at Trish, dumbfounded. "How did you...?"

"I know you, Austin. And more importantly, I know Ally. She's got a fair bit of self-reliance, but she also cares so deeply about the people in her life. Ally would never avoid you for this long unless she thought you didn't want her around."

"That's not true though; of course I want her around! She's my best friend." Austin swings a hand wildly to emphasize his point. "Nothing is the same right now, and I can't do it without her. She has to know that."

"Her head might. But her heart doesn't." Trish says with a sad smile. "And I don't blame her for being confused. You say things like that and you still haven't realized you love her?"

"I do love her. I'm just not _in_ love with her." Austin's voice is emphatic.

"Mhm." Trish says skeptically.

"But that doesn't mean I don't want what's best for her. It doesn't mean I don't think she deserves someone special. Because she does. Deserve someone special, I mean." Austin pauses, an unconscious smile drifting across his face as he thinks about his best friend. "She deserves someone who likes cloud-watching and pickles. Someone who will take her to see the movies she loves, someone who understands French historical dramas and Shakespeare, someone good at crafting and coloring inside the lines. Someone patient and romantic, who plans picnics under the stars and watches silent films. Someone who isn't on tour for half the year, someone who's normal and nice and will treat her like she deserves to be treated." He pauses for a breath, and the next words are more painful than they have any right to be. "Someone who isn't me."

"We both know that she doesn't want all those things, Austin." Trish's reply is unusually gentle. "She just wants someone who loves her." Her voice is chastising. "A best friend."

Austin's head spins a little as Trish's words slip past the excuses he's so carefully constructed. His breath whooshes out in a rush as his defenses slip just enough for him to consider facing the truth.

"Trish." Austin drops his head to his hands as he finally admits to himself what he's really so scared of. "I just-I don't think I know how to love her right."

Trish's gaze is knowing. "It's Ally, Austin. Not Kira or Cassidy or Brooke, not a fan or a girl you've never met. You know her better than almost anyone, and she knows you just as well. And if she were here right now, she'd tell you you were being ridiculous."

And all of a sudden, in a rush of clarity, everything vanishes: the excuses, the selective oblivion, the fear.

"I have been a colossal moron." Austin breathes out.

"Yeah." Trish pats him on the arm. "You're lucky she likes you anyways."

Austin's voice is hopeful. "Think she'll forgive me?"

"You're the one who's seen a zillion romcoms. You tell me." Trish stands, expression faintly smug. "My work here is done."

Austin waves at her absent-mindedly as she walks away. She laughs quietly as she hears him muttering under his breath.

"I'll need a guitar, and some flowers, and I should call Dez about getting a stereo, and maybe Mr. Dawson will let me set up something in the practice room..."

* * *

The next day finds Ally in Sonic Boom, chewing nervously on the end of her hair. It's a habit that she's broken, for the most part, but today's a special occasion. Trish has been walking around all day oddly quiet, with a self-congratulatory expression on her face. This alone is enough to throw Ally off her game; Trish planning something with subtlety is rarely good. On top of that, she's already occupied with juggling school and work while avoiding her blond writing partner. Austin's been trying to seek her out for the past few days, but Ally's not quite certain how to face the prospect of navigating their friendship again. She's still hurt by his callous dismissal of her confession, and while she understands it must be spectacularly uncomfortable for him, it stings when she thinks about how much less their relationship means to him than her. But today, Austin's been surprisingly and conspicuously absent. Ally's not sure if he and Trish are in cahoots, or if he's just busy today, or if he's finally given up. _(Against her better judgment, her heart sinks at the thought.)_

She brings herself back to focus when customers start to filter into the store. There's a lot of stock that still needs to be put out, and for the first time, she's grateful for a busy day. It's easier to focus on inventory and numbers and helping other people with instrumental problems than torturing herself by trying to figure out how to handle Austin, or Trish, or haywire emotions.

Ally's stacking spare sheet music on top of the violin racks when she hears a soft guitar riff playing. Puzzled, she tilts her head. The music fades, and she dismisses it as white noise in the mall. Then it sounds again, and she turns towards the door, minding her balance as the ladder underneath her creaks. There in the front of the store is the very boy who's been on her mind for the past week. Austin's wearing a suit and tie, holding an enormous bouquet of flowers, with his guitar slung over one shoulder. Ally giggles as she sees Dez standing behind Austin, holding a boom box as big as his entire torso.

"Austin, w-" Ally's interrupted as Austin strums the chords of a familiar song and music comes blaring out of Dez's stereo.

_There's no way I could make it without you,_

_do it without you,_

_be here without you._

_It's no fun when you're doing it solo,_

_with you it's like whoa,_

_yeah and I know..._

Then the song changes, and Ally sighs inwardly.

_I love the things you do, _

_it's how you do the things you love,_

_but it's not a love song,_

_not a love song._

_I love the way you get me,_

_but correct me if I'm wrong;_

_this is not a love song,_

_not a love song._

Ally raises a hand to stop Austin from continuing.

"Austin, what is all this?" She says tiredly, gesturing in his direction.

"An apology." He says hopefully, walking closer with the bouquet. "Just let me finish?"

Ally's voice is on the verge of tears, and it stops Austin in his tracks. "I don't need an apology, Austin. I just need time. I'm sorry we haven't written for awhile, but you have to give me some sp-"

"It's not about the writing, Ally." Austin looks up at her pleadingly. "It's about us. Austin and Ally."

"W-What?" She replies, bewildered. She turns towards him fully, but the movement shifts the ladder off balance and it wavers in the air for a brief second.

"Austin?" Ally gasps, just as the entire structure comes tumbling down.

"ALLY."

Austin is seconds too late to catch her and his heart stops as Ally's head hits the ground with a dull thud. The three steps it takes to reach her feel like a millennium. He pulls her into his lap the moment she's close enough to grasp. Her eyes are closed and she's _tootootoo_ still as Austin reaches for her wrist with shaking hands; his breath stutters as he feels a wavering pulse. He brushes a stray curl from her cheek and his voice cracks as he says her name.

"Ally. Wake up. Ally. Just open your eyes. Please."

Faintly from behind him he hears Dez on the phone with the paramedics, hears the mall crowds and the sirens and then authoritative voices. But all that matters to Austin is holding Ally, saying her name over and over like the chorus of an unfinished song, trying to forget the sight of her falling. Almost within arms reach, but not quite. Not quite. _AllyAllyAllyAllyAllyAllyAllypleasewakeup._

He vaguely realizes that Dez and Trish are pulling at him and someone's saying his name: that there are people trying to take Ally from him. He clings to her desperately, before Dez finally tugs him back.

"Austin, stop. Stop. They're here to help. They're taking her to the hospital. She's going to get better. Everything'll be fine. Austin. Can you hear me?"

But Dez's voice is blurred, out of focus, as Austin turns to watch the paramedics load Ally onto a stretcher and roll her out the door.

"I never got to tell her." He whispers, eyes fixated on the empty doorway.

"What did you say?"

Austin turns to look at Dez, eyes bright with pain. He repeats himself hollowly, helplessly.

"I never got to tell her that it _is _a love song."

* * *

Next up: A confession, a hospital bed, and a songwriter awake?


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So I totally lied about this being the last chapter. One more! (Also, yes. I am indeed an unapologetic lover of cliches. *shrug*)

Please drop a line and tell me what y'all think!

* * *

_I can't look at the stars, _  
_they make me wonder where you are._  
_Stars, _  
_up on heaven's boulevard;_  
_and if I know you at all, _  
_I know you've gone too far._  
_So I, I can't look at the stars._

_**-Grace Potter and the Nocturnals**_

Trish and Austin follow closely behind the ambulance in silence. Dez stays back at Sonic Boom; he's picking up Lester Dawson from the airport and bringing him straight to the hospital. It's all too surreal, how quickly everything turned upside down.

Austin turns to see how Trish is doing. Her hands are clenched so tightly to the steering wheel that he wonders if it's going to shatter under the pressure. She hasn't spoken a word since they got in the car, and it's obvious that she's fighting back tears.

"Do you want me to drive?" Austin asks tentatively. He'd been in no condition to do anything when they'd left the mall, but now he sees that he might not be the only one. It's hard to remember sometimes that Trish loves Ally just as much as he does. Austin's always had trouble fully understanding their friendship. He knows they've been best friends for years, but most of the time, Trish so overwhelms the dynamic that Ally can barely be seen behind her dramatics: the sass, blindingly bright patterns and her seemingly endless string of jobs. But it's obvious now that if Trish is the hurricane, Ally is the eye, and in a flash of recognition, Austin sees that he's not the only one that needs Ally.

"It's fine. We're here already." They pull into the parking lot and Trish shoots Austin a tight grin. "I knew my driver's ed teacher was wrong when he said being an 'aggressive driver' was a bad thing."

They're here in record time, and Austin can't bring himself to disagree with her, not when her driving got them to Ally faster.

"Thanks, Trish."

It's a thank you for the driving, but also a thank you for being there with him. For loving Ally as fiercely as he knows she does. And with her answering nod, Austin knows Trish understands.

* * *

They make their way into the hospital, where they harass the irritated receptionist until she directs them to a waiting room. After being ignored by three doctors in quick succession, they finally find a nurse who takes pity on them and gives an update on Ally's condition.

"Ms. Dawson has a severe concussion, not unusual for a fall of that height. We've put her into a medically induced coma for now, to assess the extent of any potential brain damage; there seems to be bruising, but no bleeding noted as of yet in the examination. We're waiting on her full CAT scan results." She smiles sympathetically. "I'm sorry I can't tell you more."

She walks away and Austin collapses into the hard plastic of a waiting room chair, running a restless hand through his hair. Trish walks back and forth in front of the chairs a few times before turning, mid-pace.

"I'm going to call Dez, check and see if Ally's dad's plane is here yet."

Austin nods absently as Trish takes out her phone and walks out into the hallway. He leans his head back in the chair and closes his eyes briefly. But the minute his lids shut, all he can see is Ally tumbling slowly, her hair scattered across tiled floor, and all he can hear is her gasp and his name and the flutter of a pulse. His eyes shoot open and he rests his elbows on his knees, head in hands. And then he waits.

* * *

Lester Dawson gets there an hour and a half later, wan, harried, and exhausted with worry. He smiles wearily at Austin, Dez and Trish, and tells them how glad they're there. Austin can tell Lester blames himself for leaving Ally alone to handle the store, but he doesn't know what to say to ease the pain of guilt: not when Austin knows its his own fault that Ally lost her focus and fell.

The four of them have been waiting for a few minutes when a doctor walks in.

"Here for Ally Dawson?"

They all stand. Lester steps forward. "I'm her father."

"Mr. Dawson, your daughter's going to be fine."

There's an audible sigh throughout the room room. Trish falls into Dez with a sob and he pats her shoulder gently, eyes alight with relief. Austin's vision comes back into focus as he takes a long breath.

The doctor continues. "However, she is currently in a medically induced coma, and we'd like her to come out of it naturally; this could take anywhere between a day to a week. She has suffered a severe concussion and fairly major trauma to the brain, so there could potentially be short-term symptoms: confusion, nausea, memory-loss. We'll keep her under observation here, but if you'd like to see her now, you may: one at a time, please."

Lester nods and the doctor leads him out of the waiting room. He returns twenty minutes later, relief written across his face. Trish turns to Austin with a questioning look, but he waves her on.

"I think I'd like to go last."

Trish's expression is understanding as she gets up and moves towards the door. Austin sorts through jumbled relief, guilt, and heartache as she comes back, and then Dez. His best friend pulls him into a hug and then pushes him in the direction of Ally's room.

"I know you think it's your fault she fell." Austin turns back to Dez, startled at perceptiveness of the usually-oblivious redhead. There's a surprising gravitas to Dez's voice as he continues. "But it's not. It was an accident, Austin. It was an accident and she's going to be okay. And we're going to be here. Always."

The words settle across Austin warmly and he fights back the lump in his throat as he nods in gratitude. He turns in the hallway, takes a deep breath, and opens the door to Ally's room.

* * *

He closes the door quietly behind him and slides into the cushioned chair at Ally's bedside. Austin reaches for her hand, pale and limp against the stark white of the hospital sheets. Guilt crawls its way through his lungs; it's wrong, so wrong for Ally to be here, cold and still, hooked up to IVs and wires and tubes. The only music she's making is the steady beep of her heartbeat moniter, and it's all just a mess. An awful, awful mess. He bows his head over her hand, tension heavy in his shoulders. Then, hoping against hope that she can hear him, Austin starts talking.

"I fucked up." He says hoarsely. "And I'm so sorry, Ally." He pauses, clearing his throat before continuing. "I'm sorry I ruined us. Ruined your laugh and your sunshine and our friendship. I'm sorry I wasn't braver, or more honest. I never should have told Dez that kissing you was nothing, that love was something to just get over." He takes a breath. "Because the truth is, I don't want you to get over me." He presses his lips against her palm, voice wavering. "Ally Dawson, I love you. I'm in love with you, and I was too much of an idiot to see it until you fell and my world came crashing down right along with you. And now I don't know how to pick up the pieces." He swallows hard. "You are all the best parts of me and I can't, I _can't_ do this without you, Ally. So you see, you have to wake up. You have to wake up so I can tell you every day how beautiful and brilliant and perfect you are. So I can write songs about the smile you get when I hit the right note, or the way your nose crinkles when you're focused on music, or that look in your eyes when you're proud of me." Austin brushes his thumb over Ally's wrist, taking comfort for a moment in the steady pulse. He's never been more grateful for rhythm. "Wake up so I can tell you I love you. That you're my goose too."

Then the boy with the world in his hands lays his head down and cries. Cries for love and a partnership, a paradigm shift and a girl he can't stand to lose.

* * *

Austin goes home exhausted and numb, and at six the next morning, he's back at the hospital. Lester's already there in the waiting room, on the phone with Ally's mom. He tilts his chin in Austin's direction briefly before returning to the call, brow furrowed. Austin points silently in the direction of Ally's room, and Lester nods and waves him in. He and Mr. Dawson spend the day trading off sitting at Ally's bedside, and Austin finds himself profoundly thankful that Ally's dad understands how much Austin needs to be here, with Ally. Dez and Trish drop by sometime mid-morning, with coffee and donuts and Austin's guitar.

"I was thinking that maybe if you play for her, she'll wake up." Trish hands the guitar to him with a hopeful smile.

Austin breathes in sharply. "I don't know, Trish. I just-nothing sounds like music without her." He exhales. "She has to wake up. She has to."

"She's going to, Austin." Dez's voice is firm, and Austin finds comfort in the solidity of his words.

"Ally loves music more than almost anything in the world." The three teenagers turn around to see Lester Dawson in the doorway of the waiting room. His lips crook into a weary grin. "I used to tell her she was born singing to the doctors. She's had a songbook in hand for her entire life; I remember when it used to be as big as her, and she'd lug it around like a suitcase. Then she got stage fright. She didn't love music any less; she just loved it quietly." Lester sits down in a nearby chair and faces Austin squarely. "Then she met you; it was like she found this wealth of music _I_ didn't even know she had in her. But you did, Austin. And she loves you so much it scares me sometimes." Austin doesn't think he's ever heard Mr. Dawson say this many words at once, and he stares at Ally's dad, dumbfounded as Lester continues. "Ally is so strong, so independent, that most of the time I forget that she might need me." He looks down at his hands. "And that's my fault. But my girl-our girl-is in there, and even if she's-" His voice breaks for a moment. "Even if she's asleep right now, she's the Ally that we know. And all Ally ever wants is music and the people she loves."

There's a moment of silence after Ally's dad finishes. Austin looks at the guitar in his hands.

"And pickles." Dez breaks the silence frankly, a glint of lost humor in his eyes.

Lester chuckles, raising his head. "And pickles."

So the rest of the day is spent fighting it out with the doctor and cramming the four of them into Ally's hospital room with a guitar and every song that reminds Austin of Ally. So the weekend passes. On Monday, Trish and Dez go to school, because "Let's face it, Ally'll kill us if she finds out we didn't get her assignments for her while she was here." Austin stays at the hospital with Lester and plays old music, has brief conversations with the nurses that filter in and out. They're familiar with him by now: the morning nurse, Wendy, brings Austin a cup of coffee with a reassuring pat on the back.

"She'll wake up, honey. And you'll be here."

* * *

It's nine that night and Austin's surveying the pitiful contents of a hospital cafeteria burrito when Dez comes running up, breathless.

"She's awake." He gasps out.

Then Austin's dropping the burrito and sprinting down the halls. He wrenches open the door to Ally's room, heart pounding.

"Ally?"

* * *

Next up: Ally awake! Confessions and revelations galore.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Super short concluding chapter: mostly dialogue, unashamedly sappy.

Reviews/opinions/critiques welcomed and encouraged!

* * *

_Here in the dark, _

_in these final hours,_

_I will lay down my heart,_

_and I'll feel the power._

_-__**Bonnie Raitt**_

"Ally?"

Ally turns towards the door at the sound of her name. Austin's there, breathless and adorably rumpled, eyes fixated on Ally's face, as if he can't believe it's really her. He steps in the doorway, and her heart aches when she sees the bags under his eyes and the exhausted tension in his shoulders. She's not quite sure what she wants to say to him _(what she__** can **__say to him)_, or how to say it, so she settles for what's easiest.

"Hi Austin."

* * *

"Ally?"

"Hi Austin."

Austin lets out a sharp breath as he sees her propped up in bed: wan, but awake and smiling.

"Ally." He chokes out again.

Ally settles herself into the pillows behind her and beams at him. "Dez brought me a jar of pickles."

The casual way she waves a hand towards the nightstand is too much for Austin, and he leans against the wall for support as he whispers her name like a prayer.

"Ally."

Ally's reply is concerned. "Um. Yes?"

Mr. Dawson moves at her bedside and Austin blinks. He hadn't even noticed anyone else was there. Lester stands and leans over to kiss Ally's forehead. Then he walks towards the door with a chuckle, patting Austin briefly on the back.

"You know, I think I'm going to go get a cup of soup." He says to no one in particular as he leaves the room.

Austin can't bring himself to laugh at Ally's dad's lack of subtlety, although any other time he'd find it hilarious. He's still drinking in the girl in front of him, dreamy-eyed, bright and tangible and _sososo_ close. The girl currently looking at him like he's grown a second head.

"Are you okay?"

Austin realizes absently the absurdity of Ally asking him that as she sits in a hospital bed, but he still can't muster the capacity to say anything but her name.

"Ally."

"That's my name. Don't wear it out." Ally sounds amused as pushes herself higher against the pillows. "Austin, are you going to stand in the doorway forever, or are you going to come in?"

It's the sound of his name on her lips that finally prompts Austin to find his words.

"You remember me."

The look Ally gives him is familiar: equal parts exasperated and affectionate, and an unconscious smile slips across Austin's face.

"Of course I remember you, Austin." She smiles softly. "You're kind of hard to forget." Then she shrugs, looking down to fiddle with the corner of a pillowcase. "And that's how friendship works, right?"

Austin tenses at the last sentence before he takes a tentative step towards the bed. Ally tilts her head up to meet his eyes questioningly. "Is that why you've been so weird for the past five minutes? Because you thought I forgot that we were friends?"

"Kind of." Austin pauses. "But it's not just that. It's-" His voice cracks. "I was so scared, Ally. You fell, and you were so close, but I couldn't catch you, and then you were on the floor and you weren't moving and I didn't know what to do." He lets out a long breath. "I wa-it's just-It's all my fault. And I'm so sorry, Ally."

* * *

"And I'm so sorry, Ally."

The words jog a memory that Ally didn't even know she had, and in a whirlwind of recollection, she flashes back to Austin sitting by her bedside, exhausted and vulnerable and heartbreakingly honest. It seems almost impossible, reconciling the words he'd whispered against her fingers and the harsh sobs with this boy standing in front of her now: an unreadable expression and an apology in his voice.

"I think..." Ally says slowly. "I think you've said that to me before."

"In Sonic Boom? I was tryi-"

"No." Ally frowns, trying to filter through the dreamlike reality she'd gone through in the coma. "Here."

Austin looks shell-shocked. "You remember?"

"So it was real?" Ally's voice is almost disbelieving. "All of it?"

"Yeah."

"Including the part-"

"Where I said I loved you?"

It's Ally's turn to look stunned. Her eyes are tentatively hopeful as she meets Austin's steady, clear gaze.

"Because I do." He looks at her seriously. "I am completely in love with you, Ally Dawson. And I know I was oblivious and dense and handled everything wrong, and said a bunch of stupid things that I should never have said, and I understand if the coma made you realize that you are way, _way _too good for me, but I just wanted you to know that I love you." He sighs. "And I'm sorry for being a monumental idiot."

"You were all of those things." Ally wrinkles her nose, and Austin holds his breath. "But I guess I can forgive you-" She pauses melodramatically and an irrepressible smile spreads across her face. His heart lifts. "Because I love you too."

And then, in two quick strides, Austin's sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling Ally onto his lap and dipping her into a languid, sweet kiss.

He pulls back to tap her on the nose. "I think that pause was the most terrifying five seconds of my life." He presses his lips against her temple. "Aside from watching you fall." He says soberly. "Please don't _ever _do that to me again."

Ally tucks her head into the crook of his shoulder and tangles their fingers together. "Not planning on it." She traces nonsensical patterns with her thumb on the back of Austin's hand. "Although if you think about it, we wouldn't be here, together, if it weren't for the accident."

"Not quite."

Ally turns to face Austin. "Not quite?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you, before... you know." Austin shrugs. "That I realized that _Not a Love Song_ actually was a love song. About you."

"Austin Moon, I did not realize you were such a hopeless romantic." Ally laughs.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" He grins at her cheekily, lighthearted for the first time in days.

"Eh. We'll see if I keep you around." Ally says, straight-faced. But she settles back into him with a happy sigh, and leans her head into his chest. "We should ask my dad to bring up pancakes to go with the pickles." She tilts her head to look at him. "But don't let go just yet?"

Austin wonders how it's possible to love someone this much. "Never again."

* * *

Finished! Am mulling over some ideas for Christmassy/holiday stories, but am not quite sure where those are going. So. Yeah. But let me know if y'all have any input/requests! (I just typed requestions instead of requests. and then I just did it again. what is my life.)


End file.
